Has anyone heard of anything that could cause mental fog? Dietary, biologically, otherwise?
This is something I have always had and am constantly fighting. I distinctly remember a single moment of clarity - the day, place, time - that I had only once in my life. That moment sucked because it was so transient and because I wish I could get back to it.
I have otherwise done fine - I do what I have to do, get decent grades, etc. Any ideas?
Water. Drink about 4 glasses before your start studying. It works for me.
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Has anyone heard of anything that could cause mental fog? Dietary, biologically, otherwise?
This is something I have always had and am constantly fighting. I distinctly remember a single moment of clarity - the day, place, time - that I had only once in my life. That moment sucked because it was so transient and because I wish I could get back to it.
I have otherwise done fine - I do what I have to do, get decent grades, etc. Any ideas?[/quote]
Is there a way you could elaborate on what you mean by “mental fog”? This a strange post dude. I mean tough to interpret. Especially when you mention having only a single moment of clarity in your whole life. I stared at this for a minute, eyebrows scrunched, trying to figure out what I should make of it.
–Tiribulus->
I take back the water reccomendation. I need an honest answer here. Do you smoke? I don’t mean tobacco either. Whether or not others agree, most of the pot smokers I know are dumber then a corner hedge post. So pot smoking might make you stupid, or maybe stupid people gravitate towards pot.
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.
I don’t smoke/take anything. I try to be as healthy as possible.
In terms of what I mean - obviously a little hard to describe in a way that makes since. It definitely is not the same as you would see with a stoner or anything like that - definitely not anyone else would notice. It’s kind of like when you’re reading a book and find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over. Then you realize what you’re doing and try to refocus. Difficulty focusing on the present. Again, I’ve always done really well in school, that’s not the issue (although if I got over this, I’m sure I’d do even better).
I heard once that when you eat too many carbs or sugar that you can start to feel the same way. I didn’t want to suggest that outright because I think that when you suggest something, people tend to latch onto that idea and don’t think of other possibilities. I was hoping people would think of something I could look into - some possible nutrient deficiency, neurotransmitter issue, something to rule out.
I will certainly try drinking more water. I am also working on lowering the sugars in my diet and getting more healthy vegetables and things into it. I always thought I was a healthy eater (I’m not one to nosh on Fritos) but the more I analyze what I eat, the more I realize that just because it’s better than average doesn’t mean that my diet is more than mediocre.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
Is there a way you could elaborate on what you mean by “mental fog”? This a strange post dude. I mean tough to interpret. Especially when you mention having only a single moment of clarity in your whole life. I stared at this for a minute, eyebrows scrunched, trying to figure out what I should make of it.
–Tiribulus->[/quote]
Um - that sounds a little extreme
[quote]HoratioSandoval wrote:
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.[/quote]
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Um - that sounds a little extreme
HoratioSandoval wrote:
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.
[/quote]
Yea, no worries. You don’t need a psychiatrist. You’re most likely just stupid.
Just kidding. What you think of “clarity” and “fogginess” are just states you’re in. “Fogginess” is like daydreaming, or not living in the present. Most people live half their life reminiscing on the past and the other half dreaming about the future. “Clarity” is living in the present. This is where focus takes place.
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Um - that sounds a little extreme
HoratioSandoval wrote:
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.
[/quote]
A psychiatrist is whole lot more qualified to talk with you than a bunch of people on a forum. Not to scare you, but as an example, you might have a brain tumor. This could affect your brain function.
Maybe you’ve inherited a easily-treated genetic disease where you make a faulty protein that interferes with brain metabolism. This whole site is driven by science - so are psychiatrists. They are doctors. Having to cling to one moment of lucidity is not normal, and sounds like a crappy way to go through life. Just curious, what was that moment?
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Um - that sounds a little extreme
HoratioSandoval wrote:
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.
[/quote]
I definitely see increased acuity after going on a low carb diet, but this gy’s suggestion may not be as extreme as you might think. Understand, psychiatry is very different from psychology. I have very little faith in modern psychology which is quite subjective and can produce as many different diagnostic “opinions” as doctors who see you.
Psychiatry on the other hand deals with physically verifiable conditions that can manifest themselves mentally. I’m not in any way qualified to even comment intelligently on what this could be beyond maybe some dietary sensitivity.
–Tiribulus->
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Has anyone heard of anything that could cause mental fog? Dietary, biologically, otherwise?
This is something I have always had and am constantly fighting. I distinctly remember a single moment of clarity - the day, place, time - that I had only once in my life. That moment sucked because it was so transient and because I wish I could get back to it.
I have otherwise done fine - I do what I have to do, get decent grades, etc. Any ideas?[/quote]
I was going to reply ‘Maybe you are just stupid’, but if you can write that second paragraph, then you probably aren’t walking around in a fog all day. Do yo realize how stupid the average person is? Most people aren’t smart enough to write a paragraph with the poignance of your second.
Quite possibly you have high expectations. We need more information about you. Are you a perfectionist? Are you a reasonably high achiever- perhaps not the guy who is top in your class, but in the top 5? Fill us in.
[quote]deanosumo wrote:
CLewis wrote:
Has anyone heard of anything that could cause mental fog? Dietary, biologically, otherwise?
This is something I have always had and am constantly fighting. I distinctly remember a single moment of clarity - the day, place, time - that I had only once in my life. That moment sucked because it was so transient and because I wish I could get back to it.
I have otherwise done fine - I do what I have to do, get decent grades, etc. Any ideas?
I was going to reply ‘Maybe you are just stupid’, but if you can write that second paragraph, then you probably aren’t walking around in a fog all day. Do yo realize how stupid the average person is? Most people aren’t smart enough to write a paragraph with the poignance of your second.
Quite possibly you have high expectations. We need more information about you. Are you a perfectionist? Are you a reasonably high achiever- perhaps not the guy who is top in your class, but in the top 5? Fill us in.[/quote]
Ya know I was going to say something along these lines as well. This guy sounds more than a hair sharper than the overpaid retards who’s computers I fix everyday. (yes, there is a compliment in there 
Maybe he isn’t as impaired as he thinks.
-Tiribulus->
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
I take back the water reccomendation. I need an honest answer here. Do you smoke? I don’t mean tobacco either. Whether or not others agree, most of the pot smokers I know are dumber then a corner hedge post. So pot smoking might make you stupid, or maybe stupid people gravitate towards pot.[/quote]
Are you sure these people are dumb because of pot smoking? I’ve known about 10 pot smokers who do well in school, their job, life in general, etc. These people could just be “naturally retarded” or have a psychological mind-set that pot smoking makes you dumb so therefore they act dumb. I know of 3 other pot smokers who don’t do well in school but they’re good people (they were getting low grades before the pot, etc).
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, “…or maybe stupid people gravitate towards pot.” I’m not saying your post was incorrect in any way (afterall, you did say “most”). Our society has gone down hill within the past decade or so. 
As for the OP, perhaps you have to much stress in your life. I know when I have a lot of stress I tend to become “unclear” of certain things and studying becomes even harder. In that case, just sit back and write down your problems then try to fix those problems.
[quote]CLewis wrote:
Has anyone heard of anything that could cause mental fog? Dietary, biologically, otherwise?
This is something I have always had and am constantly fighting. I distinctly remember a single moment of clarity - the day, place, time - that I had only once in my life. That moment sucked because it was so transient and because I wish I could get back to it.
I have otherwise done fine - I do what I have to do, get decent grades, etc. Any ideas?[/quote]
When you have the thought fog, are you tired? Do you feel exhausted most days?
In the answer to the above is yes, then you are somehow not getting enough rest or sleep FOR YOU.
Sometimes if one eats a carb heavy meal, the insulin rush and corresponding drop in blood sugar leaves alot of people feeling “crashed”. The “crashed” no-energy, tired as hell feeling could be accompanied by mental “fog”.
Suggestion: you gotta try Spike or HOT-ROX Extreme. You gotta.
Do you ever do anything that lets you know that you are in fact ALIVE?
Stuff that gets the blood flowing, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing, “holy shit I almost died” kind of stuff?
Cause I’m prety sure a lot of people are walking around in a fog of sorts. Just droning through every day life, reading whatver they read, watching the boob tube, and going thrugh the motions of life.
I can’t speak for anybody else, but if I don’t do something that challenges mortality every so often, I get a little “Foggy” too.
[quote]Tiribulus wrote:
CLewis wrote:
Um - that sounds a little extreme
HoratioSandoval wrote:
Umm, you should go see a psychiatrist.
I definitely see increased acuity after going on a low carb diet, but this gy’s suggestion may not be as extreme as you might think. Understand, psychiatry is very different from psychology. I have very little faith in modern psychology which is quite subjective and can produce as many different diagnostic “opinions” as doctors who see you.
Psychiatry on the other hand deals with physically verifiable conditions that can manifest themselves mentally. I’m not in any way qualified to even comment intelligently on what this could be beyond maybe some dietary sensitivity.
–Tiribulus->[/quote]
lol, wtf? What do you base this on? Clinical psychologists base all of their diagnoses on the DSM-IVTR, which is published by the APA- American Psychiatric Association.
The difference between psychologists and psychiatrists isn’t in how they diagnose, it’s how they treat the disorder. Psychiatrists prescribe drugs, psychologists can’t (although they can make recommendations to a family doctor, who will write the prescription). Is one approach better than the other?
It depends. There is no one way to treat schizophrenia apart from drugs, for instance. Depression, on the other hand, comes in forms that cen be treated through therapy, drugs, or a combination.
I think SkyzykS and some others may have a point. It probably is true that most people walk around in a fog. Maybe I’m just weird because I actually realize it.
I am not a risk-taker. I’m too far in the other direction. I think SkyzykS is right. Like many people, I’m always analyzing what I’m about to say and do. That moment I was referring to happened when I was walking back through the water after I’d just had sex on a dock where I could have been caught. At the time I didn’t think it was related - to be honest, I thought it was love. Perhaps just stopping the internal chatter and doing what you want for once is the key.
I’m not sure if it helps at all, but I might as well be honest. I’m saying this because you asked, not to blow air up my own ass. Yes, I graduated from one of the top universities in the country. I’ve always done well on various measures of intelligence. I don’t know how much that really proves, but I do know I catch on quickly and don’t feel thick.
Sounds like I need SkyzykS therapy…
[quote]SkyzykS wrote:
Do you ever do anything that lets you know that you are in fact ALIVE?
Stuff that gets the blood flowing, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing, “holy shit I almost died” kind of stuff?
Cause I’m prety sure a lot of people are walking around in a fog of sorts. Just droning through every day life, reading whatver they read, watching the boob tube, and going thrugh the motions of life.
I can’t speak for anybody else, but if I don’t do something that challenges mortality every so often, I get a little “Foggy” too.
[/quote]
People get that way from a variety of causes. Some of the biggies include Hypothyroidism, Electrolyte Imbalances, Nutrient Deficits, High or Low blood sugar, Stress, Lack of Sleep, Depression- just to name a few.
I’d say see a medical doctor and do blood tests first.
[quote]Aleksandr wrote:
lol, wtf? What do you base this on? Clinical psychologists base all of their diagnoses on the DSM-IVTR, which is published by the APA- American Psychiatric Association.
The difference between psychologists and psychiatrists isn’t in how they diagnose, it’s how they treat the disorder. Psychiatrists prescribe drugs, psychologists can’t (although they can make recommendations to a family doctor, who will write the prescription). Is one approach better than the other?
It depends. There is no one way to treat schizophrenia apart from drugs, for instance. Depression, on the other hand, comes in forms that cen be treated through therapy, drugs, or a combination.[/quote]
I’m only answering this so as not to be rude. There probably isn’t any point in pursuing this further here. If we could talk in person I’d list for you all the well thought out (and studied) reasons why my unshakable opinion is that modern psychology is largely bullshit. I don’t care where it’s published.
It’s useless at best and dangerous at worst. I formed this view over a course of personal research lasting several years 2 decades ago and haven’t read or heard one syllable since that has shown me the error of that conclusion.
Nothing personal, but I’m not going to address this in this guys thread again and maybe shouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. This will probably make us enemies as I suspect you’ve made this your life’s vocation, but I can’t help that.
–Tiribulus->
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
I take back the water reccomendation. I need an honest answer here. Do you smoke? I don’t mean tobacco either. Whether or not others agree, most of the pot smokers I know are dumber then a corner hedge post. So pot smoking might make you stupid, or maybe stupid people gravitate towards pot.[/quote]
…or maybe only stupid derelicts make it obvious to the world that they smoke weed.